EPTWe landed in Hong Kong, and spent a short night in the city before hopping the train to Guangzhou. The only thing I would note about this is that we had Hong Kong style French Toast, which while being absolutely awful for you, is fucking amazing. We didn't walk too far from the hotel as we got in around 9pm Hong Kong time, so it was walking beers and a late dinner.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/OGuh2fU.jpg?1)
Not every day I get to see who was awarded the cans of the year, lamentably this was terribly literal.
Week one of the trip was work, in so much as standing at a booth, nodding, and playing with a magnetic cylinder is work. My friend and sometimes boss manufactures a component for the machines that decorate the exterior of cans; he rather fell into it, but sometimes needs help for big events like these.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/TJubSAO.jpg?1)
Business, business, business. That, "carpet," was about a nano-meter thick, so standing for 10 hours a day got pretty brutal.
We did the show, rubbed elbows with the little social circle of his that I had met years prior in Atlanta at the same show. Ate expensive meals and had beers and dinner bought for me, all while getting paid. Contracting has its benefits. This also made Guangzhou rather palatable.
Guangzhou, if you don't know, is a huge city, congested and rather polluted. It has never been a place I liked to spend a great deal of time, but having everything covered for me made it a bit better. Work was done in a week, then we headed home to Zhuhai.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/0Pdv9FS.jpg?1)
High speed rail to the old hometown.
I really didn't know what to expect from the city, or from myself when I got to Zhuhai. I had spent 9 months here when I was 20/21 and likely at my most reckless. My only hope was that I didn't come across any kids I may have left behind. When I got there, and we started walking around old neighborhoods, I found myself getting a bit choked up.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NLUeSve.gif)
I took my friend, now not boss around to different neighborhoods I used to frequent, looking for old drinking spots, and telling stories about what happened to me here, what used to be there, and being generally dumbfounded at the at least 10 new skyscrapers that have been built since I left.
Now Zhuhai isn't exactly known for much, it is a pretty city, and the air quality is about as good as you can get in industrialized portions of the country. It is in many ways just a big gateway to Macau. We did a day trip there, and coming back after finding our initial dinner plans were closed for a private party. I opted to go back to my old home district.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/LWkofvd.jpg?1)
Macau, driving across from Taipa.
Tangjia, is about a half hour from the real meat and potatoes of Zhuhai. This is also where most of the schools are, and a racing circuit for I believe F1. Regardless, we went and found my old bar, The Old Chinese Junk.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/QDJ9WqI.jpg?1)
The bar as you can kind of see, is shaped like a classic, Chinese sailing ship called a Junk.
Thus far, I had met one person I knew who lived there five years ago. He didn't remember me terribly well, which I didn't mind terribly as I wasn't particularly close to him either. This bar however, was much closer to my school and where I lived. We ordered food, and drinks, and I sat facing the door, waiting to see if any teaches I knew would still be patronizing the Junk.
Before any foreigners I knew walked in, the former manager walked in, her English name is Carmen. She did a quick survey of the bar, and after giving me a glace, raising an eye brow, ran over to me, gave me a hug, and asked me what the fuck I was doing in Zhuhai. I pretty much teared up a bit at that.
She stayed a bit, talked about the state of things and what had changed since I left. She had bought the bar from its previous owner who had suffered a stroke and was sent back to England, other mutual friends had moved away, some had passed. others were still up to their old game, but hadn't yet come in, or were otherwise engaged for the night. I let her get back to work, but that single moment made my trip in such a huge way. I already felt a connection to Zhuhai just coming back, but it was absolutely brilliant to come back and see that some of the roots I put down were still there.
The next day we shipped out, literally, we took a ferry from Zhuhai straight into Hong Kong's Airport, and waited for the flight to Korea. I was still mulling over some of the happenings I didn't hear about on Facebook, but Carmen's reaction was the most lasting impression of my all too short return to Zhuhai.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/L29rg3m.jpg?1)
Later this week, on ThomasjServo's Blog: [Photo Blog] The Vacation Blog, Korea Pt 2.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/GtvxJWa.png)
